Magenta Sponsors Private Hire Company of the Year Award

London, 20 October 2016: Magenta Technology, the company behind the Echo cloud-based private hire and taxi dispatch platform, is sponsoring this year’s Professional Driver QSI Awards. Designed to promote and recognise the highest standards of quality, service and innovation in Britain’s chauffeur and private hire industry, the awards celebrate all that is good in the business.

With more than 40 awards up for grabs, Magenta is sponsoring the highly sought after Private Hire Company of the Year Large Operator category, whose winner last year, Phoenix Taxis, were the first in the UK to use 100 per cent electric taxis. Other award sponsors include Maserati, Audi and BMW, as well as Karhoo – the global cab comparison app.

“To be involved in such a prestigious event is an honour,” commented Torsten Brose, Echo Business Development Director at Magenta Technology. “The shortlisted companies have all shown exceptional quality standards that make them stand out from the competition, high levels of customer service evidenced through loyalty and testimonials, and creative use of technology to achieve a competitive edge.”

Now in its fourth year, the Professional Driver QSI Awards highlight the very best that the private hire, taxi and chauffeur sector has to offer. With around 18,000 licensed operators in Great Britain, employing in excess of 300,000 drivers, operating around 220,000 licensed vehicles and carrying millions of passengers, this is a multi-billion pound industry that is forecast to grow by up to 4 per cent per annum.

Categories in the 2016 Awards include Chauffeur Company of the Year (small/mid-size/large), Professional Driver of the Year, Marketing Award, Community Award, Environmental Award, New Start Business, Professional Driver of the Year, as well as the Private Hire Company of the Year (small and large operator) sponsored by Magenta.

Featuring the most advanced auto allocation functionality on the market, the Echo private hire and taxi dispatch platform offers truly dynamic real-time scheduling, dispatch and updates. Echo can help operators save money, increase booking potential and improve customer service – all integral to the achievement of quality, service and innovation for the professional driver sector.

Users of Echo report an automatic job allocation rate of more than 97 percent, which has a huge impact on streamlining job distribution, reducing wasted mileage and improving the customer experience. Echo also includes a range of customer booking apps, which allow passengers to book, track and pay for journeys via a smartphone or other mobile device.

ABOUT ECHOA cutting-edge private hire car and cab operational platform designed and delivered by Magenta Technology, the creators of Addison Lee’s Shamrock platform, Echo is second-to-none in delivering the highest on-demand customer service at the lowest cost.

With superior feature rich functionality and proprietary auto allocation technology, Echo provides full visibility of every vehicle in real time, ensuring drivers can be punctual, with less waiting time – thereby increasing customer satisfaction, driver earnings and their loyalty.

Magenta Technology is helping private hire and taxi companies respond to the challenge of controversial ride hailing services, such as Uber, by integrating their cloud based dispatch software with leading aggregators and booking platforms.